1822 territorial division of Spain
Encyclopedia
The 1822 territorial division of Spain was a rearrangement of the territory of Spain
into various provinces
, enacted briefly during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823. It is remembered today largely as a precursor to the similar 1833 territorial division of Spain
; the provinces established in the latter remain, by and large, the basis for the present-day division of Spain into provinces.
of 1820 led to the Trienio Liberal (three years of government by the Spanish liberals
), that government proposed a new division of Spain in its entirety, for administrative, governmental, judicial and economic purposes, according to criteria of legal equality, unity and efficiency.
The following table groups provinces by the "historic regions" that were introduced in 1833.
Some of these provinces were entities created for the first time, such as Almería and Málaga (carved out of the traditional Kingdom of Granada
), Huelva (Kingdom of Seville
), Calatayud, and Logroño; others were given new names, such as Murcia or the Basque provinces .
This proposal made few concessions to history, sticking closely to criteria of population, geographical area, and geographic coherence. Historic regional names were generally ignored, with provinces named after their respective capitals. Nor were traditional provincial borders respected by the new map. Most enclaves of one province within another were eliminated. The precise number of provinces and their capitals was the subject of intense debate.
1822 saw the restoration of the institution of provincial intendant
s as delegates of the Ministry of the Treasury (Hacienda), but the fall of the liberal government and restoration of absolutism
in 1823 brought and end to the project. The old provincial arrangement of Spain was restored, as was the division into kingdoms; these would remain in effect until 1833.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
into various provinces
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
, enacted briefly during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823. It is remembered today largely as a precursor to the similar 1833 territorial division of Spain
1833 territorial division of Spain
The 1833 territorial division of Spain divided Spain into provinces, classified into "historic regions" . on the official web site of the government of the Canary Islands, accessed 2009-12-31...
; the provinces established in the latter remain, by and large, the basis for the present-day division of Spain into provinces.
Background
After the uprising led by liberal general Rafael del RiegoRafael del Riego
Rafael del Riego y Nuñez was a Spanish general and liberal politician, who played a key role in the outbreak of the Liberal Triennium .-Early life and action in the Peninsular War:...
of 1820 led to the Trienio Liberal (three years of government by the Spanish liberals
Liberalism and radicalism in Spain
This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Spain. It is limited to liberal and radical parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having been represented in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
), that government proposed a new division of Spain in its entirety, for administrative, governmental, judicial and economic purposes, according to criteria of legal equality, unity and efficiency.
The provinces
On 27 January 1822 the government approved a provisional division of Spain into 52 provinces. The 1833 statute would follow this pattern closely, although it eliminated three of the provinces and renamed five others.Real Decreto de 30 de noviembre de 1833 on the official web site of the government of the Canary Islands, accessed 2009-12-31.The following table groups provinces by the "historic regions" that were introduced in 1833.
| Historic region | Provinces |
|---|---|
| Andalusia Andalusia Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and... |
Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, Sevilla |
| Aragon Aragon Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza... |
Calatayud Province of Calatayud The Province of Calatayud was a province of Spain created in the 1822 territorial division of Spain , during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823... , Huesca, Teruel, Zaragoza |
| Asturias Asturias The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages... |
Oviedo |
| Balearic Islands Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital... |
Palma de Mallorca Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital... |
| Canary Islands Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... |
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... (which also included the present-day province of Las Palmas) |
| New Castile | Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Madrid, Toledo |
| Old Castile Old Castile Old Castile is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of Santander , Burgos, Logroño , Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Palencia.... |
Ávila, Burgos, Logroño, Palencia, Santander, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid |
| Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an... |
Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida, Tarragona |
| Extremadura Extremadura Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west... |
Badajoz, Cáceres |
| Galicia | La Coruña, Lugo, Orense, Pontevedra |
| León León (historical region) The region of León or Leonese region is a hitoric territory defined by the 1833 Spanish administrative organisation. The Leonese region encompassed the provinces of Salamanca, Zamora, and León, now part of the modern Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León.-Leonese History:Until 1833, the... |
León, Salamanca, El Vierzo (El Bierzo El Bierzo El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :... ), Zamora |
| Murcia Region of Murcia The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast.... |
Chinchilla Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón, more commonly just Chinchilla, is a municipality in the province of Albacete in Castile-La Mancha, in the region of La Mancha Montearagón.-Description:This town is located 15 km from the capital of the province... (the later Province of Albacete, with a different proposed capital), Murcia |
| Navarre Navarre Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France... |
Navarre Navarre Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France... |
| Valencia Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia... |
Alicante, Castellón, Játiva Province of Játiva The Province of Játiva was a province of Spain created in the 1822 territorial division of Spain , during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823. Its population of 164,795 represented 1.41% of the total Spanish population of the time. Its capital was Játiva... , Valencia. |
| Basque provinces Basque Country (autonomous community) The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories.... |
Bilbao (Vizcaya Biscay Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao... ), San Sebastián (Guipúzcoa), Vitoria (Álava Álava Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community... ) |
Some of these provinces were entities created for the first time, such as Almería and Málaga (carved out of the traditional Kingdom of Granada
Kingdom of Granada (Crown of Castile)
The Kingdom of Granada was a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile from the conclusion of the Reconquista in 1492 until Javier de Burgos' provincial division of Spain in 1833. This was a "kingdom" in the second sense given by the Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia...
), Huelva (Kingdom of Seville
Kingdom of Seville
The Kingdom of Seville was a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile from the time it was won from Muslim rule in 1248 during the Reconquista until Javier de Burgos' provincial division of Spain in 1833...
), Calatayud, and Logroño; others were given new names, such as Murcia or the Basque provinces .
This proposal made few concessions to history, sticking closely to criteria of population, geographical area, and geographic coherence. Historic regional names were generally ignored, with provinces named after their respective capitals. Nor were traditional provincial borders respected by the new map. Most enclaves of one province within another were eliminated. The precise number of provinces and their capitals was the subject of intense debate.
1822 saw the restoration of the institution of provincial intendant
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
s as delegates of the Ministry of the Treasury (Hacienda), but the fall of the liberal government and restoration of absolutism
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
in 1823 brought and end to the project. The old provincial arrangement of Spain was restored, as was the division into kingdoms; these would remain in effect until 1833.